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THE
SPICES OF THEKKADY |
Kerala
history is closely linked with its commerce, which in
turn was wholly dependant until recent times on its
spice trade. Kerala was known for its spices and traders
travelled here to trade and to gain control over this
rich land. It is believed that the spice trade dates
back three thousand years. Pepper still remains the
king of Kerala's spices, but the state also has a very
rich produce in cardamom, cinnamon , nutmeg, ginger
and tumeric.The state is the spice capital of the world.
Over twelve varieties of spices including ginger, garlic,
cardamom, vannilla, pepper, cinnamon, coffee, tea, clove
and nutmeg is cultivated in Thekkady and its neighbouring
villages.
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Cardamom |
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Scientific name: Elletteria
cardamom; Best altitude for cultivation : 1500 M above
sea- level. Temperature : 10 - 25°C. Rainfall required.
1500 mm. Propagation : Seedlings and vegetative propagation.
Pollinating agent : The honey bee. Harvest season :
October to February.
A
cardamom plant normally starts bearing fruit from the
third year of planting. The harvested fruit are rubbed
on wire mesh and polished before they are graded and
stored in polythene-gunny bags to retain the green colour
and to avoid exposure to moisture.
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Vanilla |
Scientific
name : Vanilla fragrans : Rainfall
required : 1500 -3000 mm. Propogation : Shoot cutting. Pollination
: Artificial. The rostellum of the flower is pushed back with
a pointed bamboo splinter and the overhanging anther is pressed
against the stigma with the thumb, thus smearing pollen over
it. The ideal time for pollination is 0600 to 1300 hrs.
A tropical orchid, this requires a warm climate with frequent
rains. Vanilla grows best in uncleared jungle areas where
it can get filtered sunlight. A creeper, the plant requires
support up to height of about 135 cm. The plant usually begins
to flower by the third year. The bean takes 10 to 12 months
to reach full maturity.
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Pepper |
Scientific name : Piper
nigrum. Temperature : Tolerance -10° C to
40° C. Optimum -20°C to 30°C. Rainfall required
: 2500 mm. Propogation : Stem cutting. Important varieties
: Panniyur -1, Karimunda, Kuthiravally, Arakkulam Munda,
Balankotta and Kalluvally.
The
pepper plant grows best in a warm and humid climate.
Berries mature and are ready for harvest in about 180
to 200 days. Black pepper is produced by sun drying
the mature pepper berries for 3 - 5 days after they
are separated from the spikes by threshing and white
pepper by retting mature berries in clean water for
5 - 7 days, removing the outer skin and drying the seed
after thorough washing. |
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Clove |
Scientific
name : Eugenia caryophyllus,
Clove trees begin to bear flowers 7-8 years after planting.
Upopened flower buds are carefully picked when they turn from
green to pink. The buds are then allowed to dry for 4-5 days
till they become crisp and dark brown in colour.
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Cinnamon |
Scientific
name : Cinnamon zeylanicum, Cinnamon
plants are ready for harvest about 3 years after planting.
Harvesting is done twice in a year - in May and November.
The bark of the cut down shoots are split on the day of harvest
itself and dried in the sun for 2 - 5 days. The dry quills
or bark are packed in bundles for trade. Leaves and tender
twigs are used for extraction of oil by distillation.
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Nutmeg |
Scientific
name : Myristica fragrans, The
Nutmeg tree bears fruit throughout the year, but peak harvest
season is from December to May. The nuts split open when the
fruits are fully ripe. After de-husking, the red feathery
aril (mace) is removed, flattened out and dried in the sun
for 10 - 15 days. The nuts are dried separately for 4 - 8
weeks till the kernels rattle within the shells.
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